Making fun coffee drinks at home has become my ultimate daily mission. Grabbing an artisanal coffee out is always a nice treat, but let us be completely honest, that daily coffee run gets expensive fast. The good news is that you do not need an overpriced espresso bar setup or complicated syrups to make something that tastes luxurious. I have been playing around with simple ingredients right from the pantry, and this recipe is the ultimate win.
This drink is the absolute dream for that tricky summer-into-fall transition period. When it is still hot outside, you want something icy and refreshing, but the warm, aromatic cinnamon notes give you that cozy hint of autumn in every sip. It comes together in about two minutes, requires zero fancy machinery, and delivers pure café magic.
How To Make This Iced Latte
The base of this drink is all about layering warm spice into bold coffee. Grab your glass and start with the honey, pure vanilla extract, and a generous sprinkle of ground cinnamon. Brew your espresso and pour it straight into the mixture while it is still piping hot. That heat is crucial because it instantly melts the honey and wakes up the ground cinnamon so everything blends into a silky base.
Toss in plenty of fresh ice cubes and pour in your milk, leaving about an inch of room at the top.
To take this from a good iced latte to an elite coffeehouse creation, we top it with a pillowy blanket of honey cinnamon cold foam. In a small cup, combine your milk, heavy cream, honey, and another pinch of cinnamon. Grab your hand milk frother and blend the mixture for about thirty to forty-five seconds until it turns into a thick, velvety cloud. Pour that luscious foam right over your iced coffee, grab a straw, and enjoy.
Tips and Best Practices
- Dissolve while warm: Always add your hot espresso directly to the honey and cinnamon base before adding ice so the honey dissolves completely without sticking to the glass.
- Frothing texture: For the thickest cold foam, make sure your heavy cream and milk are ice cold before blending with your hand milk frother.
- Make it dairy free: You can swap the latte milk for oat or almond milk, and make the cold foam using a dairy-free heavy whipping cream alternative paired with a barista-blend plant milk.
More Coffee Recipes
If you want to keep leveling up your home coffee game, check out these other favorites from the blog:
- Salted Maple Shaken Espresso
- Iced Blackberry Vanilla Latte
- Cold Brew with Pistachio Cold Foam
- Blueberry Pancake Latte with Maple Cold Foam
- Cereal Milk Iced Latte
- Iced Coffee Protein Shake
People Also Ask (FAQs)
Can I make this latte hot instead of iced? Yes! Stir the honey, vanilla, and cinnamon into your freshly brewed hot espresso, pour in steamed warm milk, and top with the frothed honey cinnamon cream.
What kind of milk works best for this recipe? Whole milk or barista-style oat milk will give you the richest, creamiest base, but any dairy or unsweetened plant-based milk works great.
Can I make this without an espresso machine? Absolutely. You can substitute the fresh espresso with two ounces of very strongly brewed hot coffee or heated concentrated cold brew.
Honey Cinnamon Iced Latte
Equipment
- Handheld Milk Frother
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Sprinkle of cinnamon
- 1 to 2 shots brewed espresso
- Ice
- 6 oz milk
- 1 tbsp milk
- 2.5 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tsp honey
- Sprinkle of cinnamon
Instructions
- Add the honey, vanilla extract, and a sprinkle of cinnamon into the bottom of a serving glass.
- Brew your espresso shots and pour the hot coffee directly over the honey mixture, stirring well until the honey is fully melted and integrated.
- Fill the glass generously with ice cubes. Pour in about 6 ounces of milk, leaving space at the top of the glass for the foam.
- In a small cup or jar, combine the milk, heavy cream, honey, and cinnamon for the cold foam.
- Use a hand milk frother to whip the cream mixture until it expands into a thick, smooth, and fluffy foam.
- Pour or spoon the honey cinnamon cold foam over the top of the latte and serve immediately.
